


War Ruins Everything

by EmeraldLight



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Anal Sex, Angst, Blood and Violence, Crazy Lance, Galra Halfbreeds, Galra Physiology, Lance Bashing, M/M, Mating, Mpreg, Suedo Knotting, Unrequited Love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-10
Updated: 2020-03-10
Packaged: 2021-03-01 04:08:01
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 7,209
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23089081
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EmeraldLight/pseuds/EmeraldLight
Summary: Lance has finally figured it out - he's in love with Keith! But when Keith comes back to the Castle after being gone for several weeks, not only accompanied by his mother and an unknown Altean, but with another male he's calling his mate, Lance loses his mind.Unrequited love is bad enough, but when war is involved, nothing good can come out of it.
Relationships: Keith/Original Male Character
Kudos: 28





	1. Chapter 1

Lance’s foot bounced as he waiting for Keith to return from his mission - the former pilot of the Black Lion had been gone several weeks and had sent a communication that he would be arriving back at the Castle within a few hours. The brunette Paladin had come to a realization while Keith had been off working with the Blades and finally wanted to clear the air and get the thoughts out of his head.

He was in love with Keith. He understood that now. All that time he spent trying to pass it off as a rivalry, even when they were in the Garrison together, and it took getting caught up in a intergalactic war for Lance to realize it was a crush. A crush that had turned into love. He couldn’t wait to tell Keith how he felt, and hoped the grumpy male would return his affections.

So as Keith’s shuttle docked in the hanger of the Castle, Lance had to do everything within his power not to just bolt over and throw himself against the (slightly) older male. Though as Keith made his way down the ramp to greet his friends, Lance quickly noticed he seemed a lot taller. And more fit. And his hair was longer. And… he was older? What in the hell?

As the rest of the Paladins crowded around their friend, they watched as Krolia exited the shuttle, and then what looked to be an Altean female, followed by an unknown Blade member still wearing the trademark Blade mask. When had they picked up another member? As far as Lance knew, Keith and Krolia had left on a mission with just the two of them, but clearly something had changed.

He didn’t like the way the Blade soldier came to stand beside Keith, and he certainly didn’t like the way the person glanced at Keith, even if Lance couldn’t see their face. Coran’s attention was on the Altean female, completely shocked at her presence - not just in the Castle, but her being alive in general.

“You look… different…” Hunk broke the tension first, looking Keith up and down. He wasn’t sure how to respond to the idea of there being more Alteans out there, somewhere, and opted to draw the conversation to Keith.

“Yeah, well, we’ve been gone a while,” Keith sighed. “There are more important things to discuss. Where is Allura?” When the others explained the Quintessence field and how Allura and Lotor had gone into the field and there wasn’t a set time for them to return, Keith turned towards the yet unnamed Blade member and gave a nod.

All four Paladins sucked in a sharp breath as the mask and hood were lowered, revealing a head of shaggy, golden blonde hair… and a human face. Well, mostly human, Lance decerned, taking note of faintly bluish purple tinted lips, pointed ears, and fangs that peeked out when the blonde male greeted said Paladins, as well as Coran.

“This is Riven,” Keith introduced them, reaching out to lace his fingers with the fit, older looking male. “My mate.”

“WHAT!?” Lance’s voice rang out before he could stop himself, gawking at the blonde, at Riven, while the others turned their eyes toward him.

“I suggest we take this to the command center,” Coran cleared his throat. “We need to monitor the Quintessence field while we wait for the Princess to return.” Keith and Krolia immediately agreed and set off ahead of the others, Keith holding tightly to the male he had just declared his ‘mate,’ leading Riven through the Castle.

“His mate? What does that even mean?” Lance hissed, trying to keep his voice down as he, Hunk, Pidge, and Shiro trailed along behind the three Blade members, the Altean known as Romelle, and Coran.

“It’s a Galra term,” Shiro pointed out. “I heard it every so often, when I was in the arena.”

“Where in the hell did the Blade find another human?” Pidge frowned, arms crossed over her chest as she hurried to keep up with the others. Stupid long legged males.

“And what’s with those teeth?” Hunk chimed in. “Those aren’t human, those are fangs.”

“Part Galra?” Pidge pondered out loud. “His ears aren’t fuzzy, but they’re not human, that’s for sure.”

“ANOTHER human/Galra mix?” Lance said, slanting a look at his friends. “What are the chances of that?”

“He looks older,” Shiro shrugged. “We don’t know if Krolia was the first Galra to come to earth, but there’s a good chance she wasn’t. Someone had to come before her, or else how would they know where Earth even was? There are plenty of other planets to plant a Lion on.”

Coran was updating the Blades of the situation when the Paladins arrived, the four consulting the screen that showed the Quintessence field where Allura and Lotor had gone. The sight of Riven resting a hand on Keith’s lower back as they stood side by side made Lance clench his jaw, the brunette wanting nothing more than to put himself between the two.

Keith was supposed to be his, damnit. How dare this (apparently) Galra halfbreed take away what was his! What did Riven have to offer Keith that he didn’t?

“If you grind your teeth any harder, McClain, you’re going to crack a tooth.” Lance was jerked out of his thoughts by Keith’s sharp words, not realizing he had been glaring daggers at the pair. Or that Keith had glanced over his shoulder to see him with such a peeved expression.

“Something on your mind? Or are you going to just stand there glaring at me?”

“I believe his anger is directed at Riven,” Krolia spoke with an unimpressed voice.

“What? Why?” Keith frowned, looking between his mate and his friend.

“Because I took you,” Riven guessed, strange yellow-green eyes looking Lance up and down. “He’s attracted to you.”

“Like fuck I am,” Lance continued to glare. “Why would I be interested in Mr. Pissy Pants? He’s been nothing but a pain in my ass since we were cadets!” Pidge, Shiro, and Hunk shared a glance, quietly backing away from the situation and motioning for Coran and Romelle to follow them to a safe distance.

“Why would I care that you’re calling some dude your ‘mate’ after only a few weeks,” Lance continued to ramble, throwing his hands in the air. “Who does that, anyways? And what does that even mean?”

“We’ve been gone for two YEARS, Lance,” Keith sighed, scowling at the brunette. “We were trapped in some sort of… collapsing star, black hole, thing and we were there for a long time. Long enough for me to get to know my mother. Long enough for me to fall in love with Riven. Hell, I found myself a bloody space wolf and brought him back with us.”

“What do you even know about love?” Lance spat. “All you ever do is run away from anyone who shows you any hint of affection or attention. You left us, Keith. You left the team and we needed you!”

Keith clenched his fists at his side and moved to step forward but Riven extended an arm in front of him, making him stop. The two shared a look before Keith blew out a long breath and nodded, unclenching his fists.

Before the argument could continue, the group was alerted to Allura and Lotor returning.

And all hell broke loose.


	2. Chapter 2

As the Paladins landed on Earth and a few were reunited with their families, Riven stood back as Keith and Shiro were greeted by the Garrison military officers. His strange looks - bluish purple lips, fangs, shocking colored eyes, and pointed ears - were drawing attention from those around him, but he stood straight and said nothing. He was a member of the Blade of Marmora and he wasn’t going to be intimidated by humans. Soldiers didn’t flinch. Sharp eyes watched all the movement going on around him, wondering what the Paladins had found so alluring about Earth. It didn’t seem all that exciting to him, just another dessert planet, but that was what happened when you were raised in space, he assumed.

“Riven, this is Commander Iverson.” Shiro approached the male with a smile, motioning to the man who stood beside him. “Commander, this is Riven, one of the many soldiers of the Blade of Marmora.” The two shook hands, well, Commander Iverson tried, but was somewhat surprised when Riven grasped his wrist instead. The motion made Keith chuckle and explain that it was the way things were done in space - it’s how you checked your opponent for weapons.

“You look different from that woman I met,” Iverson began, making Riven grin and show off his fangs.

“Princes Allura is from Altea, she’s an Altean. I’m a half blood - part human, part Galra.” He wasn’t surprised when Iverson immediately looked uncomfortable, and he didn’t blame the man. They had been battling the Galra for a while and now there was one standing in front of him, or at least there was a partial one.

“Don’t worry, sir,” Shiro chuckled. “Riven and the rest of the Blade members are on our side, I assure you.” Riven offered a small bow of his head as Shiro spoke in his defense.

“Well, as long as you’re vouching for him,” Iverson said cautiously, though he would no doubt have his eye on Riven for quite some time.

*****

Riven sighed as he rolled his shoulders and stretched his arms above his head, growing impatient as the Paladins and the Princess were included in war talks, but the older male was not. It was almost frustrating, seeing as he had been working with the Blades for as long as he could remember and he felt as though he could provide a lot of insight regarding the war and the Blade members themselves. Not to mention the Paladin known as Lance McClain had given him an incredibly smug look as he entered the briefing room, making Riven glare and bare his fangs at him. Just a little.

So for the time being, Riven resumed his position outside the doors of the briefing room, once more clasping his hands behind his back and standing straight. Sure, there were plenty of other soldiers on the base who could do this, in fact, there was one standing three feet to his left, on the other side of the door frame, but Riven refused to be any farther away from Keith than was necessary.

He knew the human soldiers had been instructed to watch him and it took everything he had not to pull his hand crafted blade and play with it, just to show it off. And maybe to intimidate them a little.

The door to the briefing room swung open after another long hour and those deemed important enough to attend finally filtered out, Riven’s lips quirking just a little as Keith stepped out and automatically moved to Riven’s side.

They hadn’t announced their relationship to anyone other than the Paladins, deeming it unneeded (and most likely confusing to the Garrison staff), but as they were directed towards the barracks and told to find an empty room, Keith glanced at Shiro.

“You’re mated,” the man shrugged. “If they want to question it, so be it, but I’m not getting between a bonded pair.” Keith thanked his friend and took Riven’s hand in his own, leading him to the first available room without a name plate. Riven’s eyes caught Lance staring at them before the pair stepped through the door, and the idea that his relationship with Keith was pissing Lance off was more than enough to make him preen.

“I’m sorry you couldn’t join us,” Keith sighed, curling his arms around Riven’s neck and lifting onto his toes to share a soft kiss with his mate. He smiled as Riven hugged him close in return.

“I understand,” Riven told him, stroking his fingers along Keith’s lower back, brushing over the fabric of his Blade uniform. “I’m not trustworthy, being part Galra.”

“I’m part Galra,” Keith muttered.

“Yes, but they don’t know that. I’m glad no one said anything about it. It’s best only one of us is considered untrustworthy.”

Keith knew this way true, though he suspected that Shiro’s word in regards to the former-Garrison cadet would go a lot further than his insistence that Riven was to be trusted. The dark haired male released one arm from his lover’s neck and trailed it down over Riven’s chest before resting his palm over Riven’s stomach.

“How is this doing?” he asked with a smile, rubbing said stomach through Riven’s uniform. “Are you feeling alright?”

“I’m pregnant, Keith,” Riven rolled his eyes. “Not an invalid. Blade’s have been fighting while pregnant for generations, and we’re not about to stop now.” Keith continued rubbing the restrictive fabric, knowing that under the uniform was Riven’s once-tight stomach, just now starting to bulge as their child grew within him.

“I know, but I can’t help but worry,” Keith said, moving to crouch in front of his mate so he could press a kiss against Riven’s stomach.

“You need to focus on the war, not on me. I refuse to be a liability and you know that. It’s the only reason I agreed to return to the Castle with you, instead of rejoining the Blade, when we came out of that black hole.”

“I thought you agreed because you love me?” Keith teased, making Riven snort and resulting in the older male playfully using a knee to nudge him away, making Keith fall backwards onto his butt.

“I do love you,” Riven said, enjoying the sight of Keith sprawled on the floor before he offered a hand to pull his mate back to his feel. “More than anything. I would give my life for yours and you know that. That’s why I’m here, defending your planet, standing at your side.”

“This is your planet, too, you know,” Keith pointed out, accepting the hand and letting himself be pulled up off the floor.

“I don’t think I’ve ever been on Earth, Keith. From what little of my past I was able to pull from the Blade archives, my mother was taken from Earth, by my father, and I’m quite sure she didn’t consent to being with him. I was born in a Blade base and raised by them. I don’t remember ever having a father, just the Blades who trained me.”

Keith turned his back to his mate, moving his hair out of the way as he allowed Riven to undo the closures of his bodysuit. Commander Iverson had invited all the newly arrived Paladins (and others) to partake in the shower facilities and Keith fully intended to take advantage of it. The Lions did not have adequate options, in his opinion, and while they had been clean and didn’t reek of body odor, nothing compared to a hot shower.

“Care to join me?” he asked Riven, grinning over his shoulder.

“I don’t think that would be wise,” was the response. “They are communal showers and I doubt anyone wants to see me taking you against the wall. And I can’t promise I won’t do that if I’m naked and in proximity to you.” Keith licked his lips at the idea, promising that once the two of them had showered they could spend the night reconnecting. The close quarters in the Lion hadn’t really offered them the ability to have sex, and quick handjobs or sneaky blowjobs just weren’t the same.

Riven stripped out of his own uniform while Keith was away, taking the time to stretch his aching muscles and clean his blade. It was an honor to carry such a weapon and it was one of Riven’s prize possessions, next to his mate. And his unborn child, he supposed, one hand moving to rest on the small bulge that was growing under his skin. Galra, regardless of gender, were a species built to procreate and expand, and although he was only a half blood, Riven had been graced with the gift of bearing life. Love knew no gender, after all.

Though war wasn’t the best time to be doing such things - He knew that he could have hidden himself away somewhere for the duration of his pregnancy, keeping himself and his unborn child safe, and perhaps if he had been with someone other than Keith, he would have entertained the idea. Sure, Blade members still went into battle while pregnant, especially when they were barely showing, but until recently the war hadn’t been all that intense.

When Keith returned, the two shared a quick kiss before it was Riven’s turn to shower, donning a provided robe and following Keith’s directions to the shower area. The blonde passed Lance while making the trek, nodding at the male who looked to be carrying a tray of food.

“McClain.” He was trying to be civil, knowing that they all needed to be a team during this tense and complicated time, though he wasn’t surprised when the brunette simply flipped him off. Controlling his desire to roll his eyes and retaliate, Riven continued to his shower while taking deep breaths.

Unfortunately his spiteful Galra nature kicked in on his way back to his quarters, making him pause outside Lance’s door. He considered knocking and yelling at the younger male, or possibly punching him in the face, but no, this was going to be a petty move.

Riven opened his robe, took his flaccid length in hand, and urinated all over Lance’s door.

And then he fled the scene.

Keith took note of his mate’s sheepish look when Riven all but bolted back into their room, the dark haired male stretched out on the bed in nothing more than a pair of spandex shorts.

“I did something incredibly petty,” Riven admitted, removing his robe and allowing it to drop to the floor. Keith lifted an eyebrow, but also allowed his eyes to roam over his mate’s fit and toned body.

“What happened?”

“McClain.”

“And what did you do?”

“...pissed on his door…”

Keith stared for long enough that Riven could feel himself starting to blush, the larger of the two opted to simply crawl into bed with his mate and change the topic. He decided to flip Keith over, tugging the back of his shorts down just enough to give himself access. More perks of Galra physiology - a male’s passage was self lubricating. While it had taken Keith until well into puberty for this little perk to kick in, Riven was absolutely taking advantage of it.

Pressing a kiss to the back of Keith’s neck, Riven planted a hand between his shoulder blades while the other lined up his cock. He waited for Keith to nod his head before he plunged inside, sheathing every inch of himself deep inside his mate without a second thought. The moan that tore itself from Keith’s throat only served to turn the larger male on even more, continuing to pin Keith’s chest to the bed as he began thrusting into him rather quickly.

He loved the way Keith rolled his hips into every thrust, struggling to brace his knees so he could lift his hips, but Riven would have nothing of it. While it wasn’t something that happened every time they had sex, sometimes there was just a desire to dominate your mate, and this was the feeling burning deep inside Riven. The blonde had his knees on either side of Keith’s thighs, his free hand braced on the bed as he drove himself into his lover over and over. They weren’t the longest thrusts, such a position didn’t offer that luxury, but it still felt amazing.

“Fuck, Riv…” Keith moaned low in his throat, wishing he could spread his knees and lift his hips more, but his shorts were confining him. “Don’t stop. I’m already close!”

“I wouldn’t stop even if you asked me to,” was Riven’s response, his tongue flicking out to taste soft skin behind Keith’s ear. He didn’t mean it, obviously, as he wouldn’t ever do anything to purposely hurt Keith, but they enjoyed the idea nonetheless.

“Harder,” Keith begged. “Fuck me harder, damnit!” He was expecting it when Riven pulled out suddenly, leaving him empty and making him thrust his hips against the mattress for some sort of friction against his spandex clad length.

“Such a greedy boy,” Riven chuckled, strong hands pulling Keith’s hips up without warning, having to stop pinning his mate in order to guide slender hips.

“You’re teasing me!”

“I’m fucking you, brat.” Riven drove himself into Keith once more, this time yanking him back into every thrust, the slap of skin on skin ringing in their ears. They had done the slow grind before, and it felt just as good, but sometimes rough sex was needed. Keith panted heavily as he felt Riven’s fingers dig firmly into his hips, sure to cause bruises, but the pressure only added to the pleasure.

Riven loved watching his cock vanish into Keith’s greedy ass, eyes trained on the sight as he bared his fangs and growled low in his throat. The noise made Keith moan in response, the smaller male pressing his chest into the bed as much as he could and submitting to his mate.

“You’re going to make me cum,” he groaned, loving the feel of Riven’s rock driving into him over and over, the thick, ridged tip raking over his prostate almost constantly. Keith wasn’t a stranger to sex, he had dabbled with a few boys before leaving Earth, but nothing compared to the ridges just under the head of a Galra cock, even those of a half breed. Riven seemed to have taken on a lot more Galra traits than Keith had, not that either of them were going to complain.

“If you’re a good boy and hold it in, I’ll let you cum inside me,” Riven promised, sharp nails digging into Keith’s hips as he increased his thrusts in an effort to bring himself off a little faster. Keith cried out, both from the pleasure of being fucked relentlessly, and the idea of spilling himself inside his mate. He could feel Riven beginning to thicken inside him, and while his lover didn’t have the trademark Glara knot (neither of them did, in fact), he knew if they weren’t careful, the sensation of Riven’s thick cock would take Keith over the edge with him.

Riven grunted as he shoved his cock deeply a few more times before pulling out until just the head of his thickened length rested inside Keith’s body. Every pulse of seed leaving him and painting the insides of Keith’s twitching passage made the two of them moan loudly, and Riven knew it was only because Keith hadn’t been able to rut his cock against something that he hadn’t cum yet. Though, if he had came deeper inside him, letting his cock thicken, Keith absolutely would have cum untouched.

“Roll over, love,” the blonde panted, withdrawing before he had really started to soften, the sight of Keith’s body oozing his cum making him lick his lips. Keith took seconds to roll onto his back, shoving his shorts down and off his legs before he offered his hands out towards Riven and helped him straddle his hips. He rubbed his hands over Riven’s chest and watched his lover guide his eager body over Keith’s leaking cock.

“Won’t be long,” he warned, bringing his knees up and curling his toes into the sheets as he started thrusting up into Riven, wringing moans from his mate. The older male braced his hands on Keith’s chest, letting him grip his hips and pound into him at a pace that nearly matched the one Riven had previously set. He could already feel Keith’s cock beginning to thicken inside him and his jaw fell open, moaning as he was treated as something akin to a cocksleeve.

Not that he cared.

“F-fuck! Riven!” Keith’s hips snapped upwards several times before he pulled Riven’s hips down firmly, seating himself deeply inside his mate as his cock thickened and (partially) tied the two of them together. Both moaned loudly as Keith pumped his load into Riven’s eager body, hips rolling. Keith wasn’t surprised when Riven’s body began to spasm around his cock, the pressure against his prostate causing his mate to orgasm yet again. The sight of his lover’s cock spurting another load, this time all over Keith’s toned stomach, made him groan happily.

“Pretty sure this is what got us into trouble in the first place,” Riven panted, using his internal muscles to milk Keith with a smirk.

“You’re the one who submitted,” Keith shot back.

“Can’t believe I didn’t do it sooner,” Riven admitted, licking his lips as his hips continued to roll. It would take a few minutes for Keith to be able to ease out of him, not that either were going to complain.

“Last thing we needed was to have a baby in that stupid time field.”

“Very true… and yet here we are, having a baby in the middle of a war.”

“Well, generations of children have been born during the Galra occupation, and I’m sure the war is no doubt going to be over well before you’re even properly showing,” Keith smiled, stroking his hands over Riven’s hips. Bending impressively, Riven cleaned the mess he had made on Keith’s stomach before moving upwards and kissing Keith deeply, making both moan.

In the beginning, it had just been sex, Riven fucking Keith against a tree in a very Galra fashion after Keith had taken his teasing a little too far, but it had quickly dissolved into love. And kink sharing. And eventual submission by each of them.

And then Riven got pregnant, something very much NOT a plan. Until that moment, Keith hadn’t known males could even get pregnant, and it had been an interesting educational moment for the two of them.

“We should have done this before we showered,” Riven sighed, though it was broken up by a groan as Keith slipped free of him, making his hips jerk.

“You’re welcome to shower again, you know,” Keith smiled, lifting his hand to thread his fingers through Riven’s shaggy blonde hair.

“Only if you come with me, this time.”


	3. Chapter 3

Moving in and out of planning sessions in preparation for the final attack on the Galra had the Paladins roaming the Garrison at a variety of times. As much as Riven wanted to stick near his mate, the blonde found himself exploring the base and peering at anything he was able to access.

They were only days away from launching into the last stand against the Galra and Riven wanted to be prepared. When his wandering didn’t grant him any interesting discoveries, the Blade made his way to the workout room and began a circuit. Just because he was pregnant didn’t mean he was going to sacrifice his body. Galra were hearty folk.

Trusting in his surroundings and lost in his workout, Riven didn’t notice Lance arriving in the room with him. He didn’t realize the brunette was upon him until a sharp pain near his lower back nearly took him to his knees. Fangs and claws lengthened as Riven spun to face his attacker, staring at Lance and the bloody knife he held in one hand.

“YOU!” he hissed, feeling blood quickly soaking into the fabric of his uniform. “What in the fuck do you think you’re doing?!”

“I’m getting rid of the competition!” Lance laughed almost maniacally, advancing towards the blonde once again, knife gripped firmly. Riven moved into a defensive stance and worked to keep a safe distance between himself and the lunatic Paladin.

“You’ve gone crazy!” Riven kept his arms up, yellow-green eyes narrowed as he kept circling, trying not to trip on any of the work out equipment.

“You took him from me!”

“He never wanted you!” Riven regretted the words before they were even completely out of his mouth. They were true, and he knew that, but he certainly shouldn’t have said them, not when Lance was in such a state. The brunette rushed him and, lacking a weapon - his blade was sitting on a ledge near the door - Riven lashed out in the only way he could, he swiped his claws across Lance’s face.

“YOU BITCH!” Lance all but shrieked, shaking his head in an attempt to clear the blood from his eyes as he charged at Riven once more. The blonde was starting to feel the effects of the wound in his back, the blood loss making his head spin. As Lance tackled him to the ground, the air was knocked out of him, leaving Riven gasping as he struggled to keep Lance’s hands off of him. Lance’s pupils were blown wide, while Riven’s had shifted from the more circular human to the slitted Galra, and were narrowed as he fought against his attacker.

“Once you’re dead, he’ll love me!” Lance shouted, and even though he was almost blinded by the blood flowing from the wounds Riven had dealt, he drove his knife forward. The male under him cried out as the knife drove into his stomach, sending pain racing through the blonde’s body as he tried to get free. He was sure Lance would have kept stabbing him if someone hadn’t dragged the brunette off him, Riven faintly aware that Keith and Shiro had come running to investigate the noises.

Keith frantically pressed his hands to the wound in Riven’s stomach while Shiro called for a medic, as well as security, struggling to hold Lance’s body with only one arm. Riven’s eyes, human once more, stared up at his mate as he fought against the cold that came with going into shock.

“Just breathe,” Keith told him, applying as much pressure as he could. “The medics are coming.”

“M-my back…” Riven forced himself to speak, trying to make it known that he had been injured in two places. His words were hampered by the shocked, pain filled noises he was making, and the fact that it was increasingly hard to breathe.

“Keith… I… I can’t…”

Blood had begun to bubble up between Riven’s blue tinted lips and panic started to settle over both of them. Keith was begging his lover to stay with him, to stay awake, tears falling over pale cheeks. Riven’s fingers twitched weakly against the soft matting of the gym floor as the blonde struggled against the blood filling his lungs, eyes beginning to roll back.

“Riven, you have to stay awake,” Keith felt his voice crack. “I can’t lose you, not like this…” Indigo eyes met fading chartreuse before Riven’s world faded to black.


	4. Chapter 4

Keith sat outside the door that lead to Riven’s ICU room, not yet allowed to enter as the medical staff worked frantically to save the injured male. He had pulled his knees against his chest and buried his face in them, simultaneously wanting to drown out the sound of the machines that were screaming each time Riven stopped breathing, or his heart stopped, and wanting to listen so he knew exactly what was going on.

“Keith…” Shiro knelt by his friend, resting his hand on Keith’s shoulder and squeezing gently. He, too, could hear the noises in the room and didn’t know what to do, or say. All he could do was sit beside Keith and wrap his arm around Keith’s shoulders, letting the boy lean against him.

“He’s pregnant…” Keith mumbled. Shiro tightened his hold, leaning his head to the side and resting his cheek against Keith’s hair. Both knew the likelihood of the baby still being alive after Riven was stabbed in the stomach was very slim, though the focus was more on saving Riven’s life.

“What am I going to do without him, Shiro?”

“Survive,” Shiro said quietly, feeling his heart ache for the pain his pseudo-brother was feeling. They had grown incredibly close after Shiro had recruited him to the Garrison and they were the only family each other hand. Well, until Riven had came into Keith’s life and they had fallen in love. After returning home to find that Adam had been killed, Shiro didn’t want anyone else to feel such a pain.

The two sat together for what felt like forever, Keith trying to keep deep breaths and prevent himself from hyperventilating. It wouldn’t help the situation for him to have a full on freak out and lose consciousness. The medical staff already had their hands full with Riven, not to mention Lance was strapped to a bed and heavily medicated for the time being.

“Keith?”

Keith’s head snapped up so quickly that it bounced off Shiro’s jaw, making the older male wince and lean away as Keith scrambled to his feet.

“Riven?”

“He’s stable for the moment,” the doctor told him, glancing into the room before returning his attention to Keith. “We’re prepping him for surgery, but I wanted to give you an update.”

“He’s pregnant,” Keith said quickly. “It’s a Galra thing, just trust me on this.” He knew the doctor was going to be confused and wanted to spare further explanation. The man told Keith they would do their best to save the child, but Riven’s life came first.

Shiro stood beside Keith as Riven was wheeled past and the medical staff headed for the operating room, Keith having to clutch Shiro’s arm at the sight of the incredibly pale blonde. It was obvious that Riven was barely holding on, and Keith wasn’t going to leave the sick bay until he was sure his mate would live.

*****

Hours passed with Shiro sticking close to Keith, accepting the tea that a nurse brought them, though he wasn’t surprised when Keith only held the cup and eventually it went cold. As much as he wanted to encourage the younger male to drink, he knew it was futile. All they could do was wait, and hope. It was one thing to fall in battle, but to fall to an ally?

And what was going to happen to Lance? No one had ever expected such actions from the brunette, and part of Shiro wanted to blame the stress of war. Or maybe some sort of alien illness. They wouldn’t know until Lance woke up, but Shiro’s attention was directed towards Keith.

Shiro wasn’t sure when he had dozed off, but his senses were suddenly on high alert when Keith shot to his feet, making the chair squeak against the floor. The surgeon had come through the doors leading to the operating room, making Keith stand quickly.

“Stable,” the woman offered a tired smile, but it faded when she answered Keith’s next question. “I’m sorry, we couldn’t save the fetus.”

“But… but Riven’s okay…” Keith repeated.

“We’ve opted to keep him sedated for the time being, considering the situation outside the base,” the surgeon continued. “We can’t risk him moving around and hurting himself. The wound to his back punctured a lung, that’s why he was essentially drowning in his own blood. The wound in his stomach…” Keith nodded, knowing that was what had terminated the life of his unborn child. They hadn’t even had a chance to feel the first flits of movement.

“When can he see him?” Shiro asked, resting a hand on Keith’s shoulder once more.

“We’re moving him to his room shortly, you’re welcome to wait for him there.”

Shiro guided Keith away before he could ask the surgeon any more questions, rubbing his shoulder as they walked.

“You can always try again, after the war,” he tried to rationalize. “Galra can have more than one, right?” Keith nodded, but he wondered if such a thing would even be possible considering where the knife had penetrated Riven’s body.

It was one hundred percent because Keith was a Paladin of Voltron that he was allowed to spend the night in Riven’s room, his chair pulled close to the bed as he rested his head against his mate’s hand.

“I know you can hear me, Riv… I know you’re in there… They couldn’t save the baby, but they saved you,” his voice was soft, eyes closed but the tears slipped out anyways. “You’re going to be asleep for a while… until we win the war… but I’ll come back to you, I promise. I’m going to be here when you wake up.”

*****

Keith didn’t remember a lot of the final battles - first the Galra, and then the Altean powered mechs. Every time he heard Lance’s voice of the communication system, he found himself hoping the brunette would suffer a horrible fate. It didn’t matter than Lance had no memory from when Keith arrived back at the Castle until waking up in the Garrison sick bay.

Not that Keith believed him, but they needed Lance to pilot the Red Lion, and they needed the Red Lion to win the war.

Everyone was celebrating, the Paladins were being recognized for their heroics, and instead of standing on the stage to accept an award with the rest of the team, Keith was sprinting through the Atlas. When the Garrison had been evacuated, Riven had been placed in the medical bay of the Atlas, and it took Keith several twists and turns before he found where he needed to be.

The sick bay had quite a few wounded people in it, but Keith breezed past them to take his place beside Riven’s bed. The coma inducing medication had been cut off as soon as the war had officially ended and all there was left to do was wait for it to come out of Riven’s system.

“I am full of so many holes…”

Riven’s voice startled Keith from his exhausted sleep, the dark haired male lifting his head to stare at his mate. Bright yellow-green eyes met his, Riven giving him a weak smile and wiggling the fingers of the hand Keith had been holding.

“You’re awake,” Keith smiled, moving closer and bringing a hand up to stroke Riven’s cheek. “Awake and making jokes, how typically Galra of you.”

“How long?”

“Almost two weeks.”

“Our baby…?”

Keith shook his head, moving to his feet so he could kiss Riven’s forehead gently.

“The damage was too great,” he said softly. “They barely managed to save you.”

“Lance?”

“You roughed up his face real good, but he was up and moving as soon as they unstrapped him from the bed,” Keith sighed, sitting gently on the side of the bed and stroking Riven’s hand.

“What aren’t you telling me?”

“...he doesn’t remember anything after you, me, mom, and Romelle showing up at the Castle,” Keith admitted. “Shiro believes him and thinks it’s either war psychosis or some sort of alien pollen issue or something.”

“How long before I’m out of here?”

“The doctors are mind fucked by your healing ability, so they aren’t really sure. But since you’re awake, I’m hoping they’ll release you so I can take care of you.”

“This is what I get for saying I wasn’t an invalid,” Riven huffed, his eyes fluttering close. “I’m so heavy…”

“Sleep, it’s okay,” Keith couldn’t help but smile once more. “The war is over, you’re alive, things are going to be okay.”

*****

It was hard to believe that it had been an entire year since the war had ended. Keith, Riven, Krolia, and the rest of the Blade of Marmora had been working endlessly to unite the Galra Empire and bring peace to that portion of the universe.

Having access to both Daibazaal and Altea also made things much easier, not to mention having Altean teludav’s meant that travel between Galra/Altean space and Earth became infinitely easier.

Keith and Riven strolled through the gardens of Altea’s embassy, making their way towards the monument that had been set up for the fallen Princess. The Paladins were coming together to celebrate the one year anniversary and a hesitant invitation to Riven had been extended as well.

“Promise not to kill Lance?” Keith asked, his voice light and somewhat teasing, but he still wondered what Riven would do when he came face to face with his attacker. Neither had seen Lance since they departed from Earth nearly a year earlier, but that didn’t mean grudges weren’t being held. Especially when an Altean doctor had informed them that Riven was no longer able to have children, and that Keith wasn’t carrying that trait.

“He had a psychotic break,” Riven sighed, fingers laced with those of his mate. “I cannot blame him for what the war did to his mind, and I’m sure he feels a great deal more remorse than people think he does.”

“You really believe that?”

“Your brother is a bunch of stardust memories shoved into a cloned body,” Riven slanted a look at his slightly smaller lover. “Why is a war induced brain malfunction such a hard thing to understand?” Keith frowned a little but the look quickly vanished as the two approached the group of friends who were already sitting and chatting with one another.

Hugs were passed all around, leaving Lance standing in front of Keith and Riven with a sad, and somewhat apprehensive, look on his face. The remaining Paladins watched closely, honestly expecting a fight to break out, but instead Riven stepped forward and yanked Lance into a hug.

Except no one thought it was a hug and Shiro, Pidge, and Hunk all shot to their feet, chairs toppling over and hands reaching for weapons none of them carried anymore. Keith quickly held up his hands, moving between the two groups, his eyes flicking back and forth between his friends and the actions his mate was taking. Everyone sucked in a breath when they heard Riven speak,

“I forgive you.”

Lance immediately started to sob, burying his face against Riven’s strong chest as the taller male held him close. He repeatedly whispered apologies, allowing his fingers to curl in the soft fabric of the t-shirt Riven had chosen to wear, tears wetting the material.

“It’s going to be okay,” Riven spoke softly now, hooking two fingers under Lance’s chin and encouraging him to lift his face. Everyone watched closely as Riven stroked a thumb over the four scars that crossed Lance’s tanned skin, a testament to their battle.

“I’m sorry about these…”

“I deserved it,” Lance said with a shake of his head, taking deep breaths to try and calm himself. “I nearly killed you, and yet I walked away with nothing but scars.”

“We both have scars from that fateful day,” Riven agreed, releasing the brunette and motioning towards the table. “Let’s sit down. I see some faces I’m not familiar with.”

The three sat down at the table and Shiro introduced the additional guests - his own husband-to-be, Hunk’s girlfriend, and Lance’s boyfriend. Pidge was very happily single.

Dinner was served and comfortable conversation flowed around them, Keith rubbing Riven’s knee as they shared stories from their lives post-war and contemplated the future. There was still so much to do, for all of them, but they weren’t alone.

The universe had become so much bigger than anyone could have imagined.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you got this far... thank you! I know OCs get a lot of hate, and fics containing them don't get all that many hits, so every person who reads this entire fic makes my heart smile <3

**Author's Note:**

> Join our [Voltron Discord!](https://discord.gg/JnC529h)


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